Canine Impulsivity, Reactivity, & Fear Mentorship
Sessions
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Are you looking to improve your success with dogs struggling with impulsivity, hyperactivity, reactivity, or fear? Whether you're just getting started with these cases or want to sharpen your skills, this 8-week mentorship is designed to give you the tools and confidence to handle them more effectively.
Through a structured, hands-on approach, this program guides you in building and implementing behavior plans that work—for both the dog and the human client. With expert mentorship, you’ll deepen your understanding, strengthen your current skill set, and fill in any gaps in your practice.
What You’ll Do:
- Work Through a Real Case: Choose a case to focus on throughout the course. You’ll analyze, plan, and adjust with personalized feedback from your mentor.
- Strengthen Your Skillset: Identify your strengths and areas for growth, and learn how to bring your best to each case.
- Collaborate and Learn: Engage in weekly live sessions, participate in forums, and get direct support on both the theory and practice of behavior modification.
What’s Included:
- Weekly live online meetings with your mentor
- Access to recorded lectures and training videos
- Assignments with individualized feedback
- Forum access for discussion and support
- Throughout the course, full participants can share cases, ask questions, troubleshoot challenges, and receive guidance on how to become more effective and professional in this type of behavior work.
What You'll Learn:
- How to identify and define impulsivity, hyperactivity, reactivity, and fear*
- How to create and adjust comprehensive, effective behavior plans
- How to track progress and communicate clearly with clients
- A deep dive into the science, assessment, and implementation behind successful outcomes
Please Note: This course does not cover aggressive behavior, even when fear-based. Redirection during reactive episodes and extreme mouthing still fall under the scope of this course. If you are not sure if a case fits in with this course, please check with your instructor before enrolling, or have a back up case selected.
Who This Course Is For:
- Dog trainers and behavior consultants
- Shelter staff and volunteers
- Veterinary professionals
- Dog walkers and daycare staff
- If you're ready to take your work with fear, reactivity, and impulsivity to the next level, this mentorship is for you.
** IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE WEEKLY MEETINGS **
- Meetings are not recorded
- Meetings begin 1 week after course opens
- Meetings are 1 hour in duration
- There are 8 meetings for this course
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Speaker(s)
Dr. Kristina Spaulding PhD, CAAB
Dr. Kristina Spaulding has been in the dog training and behavior profession since 1999. She earned her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While in college, she worked for the Dane County Humane Society and volunteered as an assistant trainer at Dog’s Best Friend, then owned by Dr. Patricia McConnell. She runs Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC. She completed her PhD in biopsychology—the study of the biological basis of behavior—in 2016. In 2017, Dr. Spaulding became a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. She is particularly interested in stress, neurobiology, cognition, emotion, and wellbeing and how to apply these concepts to the prevention and early intervention of behavior problems in dogs.
Dr. Spaulding has a passion for teaching and offers a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior. During graduate school she taught undergraduate courses for several years. She was trained in innovative and effective teaching skills through the Institute for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Leadership and the University at Albany. In 2012, Dr. Spaulding received the Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student Award through the local chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT’s) Member of the Year Award.
In addition to teaching other professionals, she regularly presents on canine behavior science at conferences and other events. She also continues to work with private training clients where she specializes in fear, reactivity, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. She currently serves on the IAABC Foundation Board and the Fear Free Advisory group.
Dr. Spaulding has a passion for teaching and offers a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior. During graduate school she taught undergraduate courses for several years. She was trained in innovative and effective teaching skills through the Institute for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Leadership and the University at Albany. In 2012, Dr. Spaulding received the Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student Award through the local chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT’s) Member of the Year Award.
In addition to teaching other professionals, she regularly presents on canine behavior science at conferences and other events. She also continues to work with private training clients where she specializes in fear, reactivity, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. She currently serves on the IAABC Foundation Board and the Fear Free Advisory group.
